Moments
by Princess Zombie
Summary: Several short standalone fics involving John/Bobby Iceman/Pyro . Differnt moments in time in their relatonship in no particular order. ALso a few of either of them alone, because I don't feel like making another story. SLASH.
1. Baggy Clothes

1Title: Baggy Clothes

Pairing: B/J if you squint and turn it sideways while doing a headstand underwater in NYC.

Rating: G

--

John easily slipped out of his jeans in the locker room without unbuttoning them, then pulled off his light blue and brown button up with the same ease.

"Hey John, I've been wondering." Bobby said as he undressed as well,

"What's that, Bobby?"

"Why are your clothes always too big on you?"

"I'm not exactly the biggest person you've ever met."

"John, why would you buy clothes that are too big for you in the first place?" Bobby asked, looking over the other as he put on gym shorts and a white tee,

"I didn't." John stated plainly, sitting down to replace his flip-flops with sneakers,

"That doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense. I've never bought clothes that're too big for me."

"Then how did you get them?" John glared up at Bobby,

"Foster kids don't have mommies and daddies to buy them nice things." he growled, leaving the other teen behind.


	2. Rain

1Title: Rain

Pairing: B/J

Rating: PG-13

--

Pitor stumbled in the front door of the mansion, soaked to the bone. "Jesus."

"'S it raining, Pete?" John asked sarcastically.

"Hell yes. I got soaked just walking in from the car."

"That hard?" John asked, pulling aside one of the drapes and looking out the door. Rain was coming down in sheets, it was thundering and flashing lightning. "Woah." John said, his eyes lighting up.

"Don't even think about it, Allerdyce." Came Summers' voice from the stairs,

"Think about what?" Bobby and rogue chimed in, on their way to the game room.

"This." John said simply, grabbing Bobby's hand and running out into the summer storm

The rain beat down on the two male teens as John pulled Bobby out to the edge of the grounds. Once they were a decent distance from the school, John let go of Bobby and jumped up and down in a puddle in his bare feet, splashing mud on his jeans.

"What the hell is wrong with you John?!" Bobby yelled over the sound of the rain hitting the trees and dripping to the soft earth. John was grinning lie a fool as he turned to face Bobby,

"I have no fucking idea." he said, quietly, looking at his best friend as his smile began to fade. They stood like that, staring at each other appreciatively and smiling slightly as they grew colder with the onslaught of rain. Wet footsteps were running toward them

"You two are idiots, you could have been–" But john didn't hear the rest. He reached up and put his hand on Bobby's chin, pulling him into a lingering kiss.

Bobby, pardon the pun, froze. Rain, footsteps, John, kissing. His mind flashed in and out of conscious thoughts and from one subject to another sporadically. Bare feet, lightning, first kiss, John, parents, gay, ice, Xavier, Rogue, warmth, hands, John's smile. As he and John separated he felt slightly reluctant, and scared, he was shaking now,

"You guys are gonna get struck by lightening." Pitor was dragon them toward the mansion now. John pulled his arm away and ran ahead, and as Bobby realized what was going on, he too pulled away and went inside.


	3. Return

1Title: Return

Pairing: B/J

Rating: PG-13 for implications.

--

"John's back?" Rogue asked, clearly unaware that the teen had been gone in the first place.

"Yeah. From visiting his foster mother in Baltimore. He left Friday, was gone all weekend." Jubilee explained.

"That explains why it's been so quiet."

"It also explains why Bobby abandoned us an hour ago," Jubilee said. Previously, the three had been in the cafeteria and Bobby got a text message, then ran off suspiciously. Rogue sighed, "Rogue, dear, remember, they're boys. Bro's before ho's." Marie scoffed at Jubilee's comment as they headed toward the boys' dorm

--

"Missed you." Bobby muttered as he separated from John for a moment, only for the fire mutant to kiss him again. John slowly moved down Bobby's jaw to his neck.

"Mmm..." Came John's half-hearted response as he pulled away, sitting back in front of Bobby against the pillows on his bed.

"Did you think about me while you were gone?" Bobby asked, smirking. He wouldn't act like this around anyone else.

"Bobby, I fantasized about you while I was gone." John practically _purred_,

"Good." Bobby said, straddling the other and running his hands down the warmer mutant's chest over the semi-tight green polo he was wearing.

--

Jubilee knocked on the door briskly, "John, Bobby's girlfriend desires attention." She said. Jubilee and Rogue had never really gotten along, but she knew John would kill her if she didn't help to keep his secret. Moments later, Bobby moved into the hall,

"Hey, Rogue." he smiled, taking her hand. As he walked away he glanced back and gave a gratuitous smile and nod to the other girl.

--


	4. Swimming

1Title: Swimming

Pairing: B/J

Rating: PG

--

"John, It's one am." Bobby sharply whispered as he and the aforementioned teen snuck down to the basement of the school,

"Yeah, but it's _hot_." John whined.

"So you keep reminding me." Bobby groaned as the two of them reached an intersection. John looked left and right, then turned to the left as Bobby cured his lack of sense of direction. They passed the danger room and made a right turn, then Bobby pulled him inside a double door.

"Found it." John said, smiling as they approached the side of the Olympic sized swimming pool. The lights in the large room were off, but the lights on the bottom of the pool remained on, giving the water a bright glow, leaving the room in near twilight. Bobby watched the slightly waving water lap at the sides of the pool, spilling over slightly and became fixated on the gentle motion, and then there was a splash and he was spattered with water. He looked over and saw John skillfully swimming beneath the water, his gray teen and red plaid pyjama pants still covering his slim form.

"John!" Bobby said once the other surfaced, "Your clothes"

"So?" John shrugged and swam back to the edge where Bobby sill stood.

"We are going to get in so much trouble for this."

"We're already in trouble. Just get in, it feels incredible." John said, holding on to the edge and looking up at Bobby. Bobby watched him, smiling at the way the gray tee, once above the water, showed off John's every line. Bobby crouched down and whispered,

"John, if Summers finds out you're gonna lose privileges fore he field trip tomorrow."

"Well, Bobby," John whispered back and grabbed the other's wrist gently, "I don't plan on getting caught." He said, tugging sharply on Bobby's arm, pulling the other into the water. Bobby felt his feet touch bottom and propelled himself up hard through twelve feet of water, (I know this is unrealistic, but whatever.)

"Shit!" He gasped after surfacing. John, on the other hand, was beaming. "What was that for?!" John shrugged still smiling, then tapped Bobby on the shoulder,

"Tag, you're it." He said, before diving under the surface and swimming away quickly. It surprised Bobby how well the fire mutant swam. John surfaced again and looked at him, swimming closer slowly, "You coming, or what?" He asked, reaching out his hand. Bobby just stared for a moment then spoke up,

"If you can't beat him, join 'im." He said, quickly swimming toward John, who made to retreat. But Bobby was smarter than that, a small fact that John overlooked, and the cooler teen reached out his arm, creating a column of ice around John. John felt raound him and kit the sid of the, for all intensive purposes, tube and made a slight crack, but upon hitting it again, couldn't break it. He smiled and shook his head, then surfaced.

"Definitely not fair." John spoke, wiping some wet hair from in front of his eyes and leaning over the several inch thick wall of ice.

"And how, may I ask, is it not fair?"

"Because you can use your powers and I can't."

"Pfff. That makes it unfair."

"Duh." John said. There was a silence filled with only the lapping of water up and down in the pool. "This is cold..." John mused, leading them into silence again. Bobby began to swim away. "Hey!" John called, jumping over the ice and swimming after him. Easily the faster swimmer, John caught up to his friend and grabbed on to them, pulling him to the surface.

"Hey, John." Bobby said, his lips twisting into a smirk. John was shivering slightly and they were close enough that their chests were touching as they treaded water. "Cold?" He said, swimming over to the edge and climbing out of the pool. "Let's go back."

"You'll have to catch me first!" John yelled gleefully. Bobby wondered how john could always be so passionate about everything he did.

"Come on, John, it's cold, lets go back to bed!"

"As soon as you come get me, we can go." John said. So Bobby jumped back iin and swam close to John,

"Happy? Now lets–" Bobby was cut off as john hissed him fiercely, submerging the two of them underwater once more.


	5. A Little Too Much

1Title: A little too much.

Rating: PG-13?

Summary: John changed between Alkali and the cure.

Pairing: Slight B/J

Disclaimer: I don't own X-men. I do, however, own a pet plotbunny. Her name is Luffa and she is white with black spots.

Notes: Pretty short. I wanted to make it a multi-part fic, like a week per chapter, but I couldn't fill it in. So it became really short. Almost a drabble.

--

I cried. I cried a hell of a lot during those first few weeks. Every time I thought of you. I thought about you a lot. It couldn't be helped, really. The clothes that I wore when we jumped in the pool together, completely dressed. My brown jacket that you always insisted I should replace. The shark-toothed zippo you bought me after 'accidentally' losing my old plain one. The clothes that you gave me to wear after we ran from the mansion.

I didn't sleep much either. Every time I would close my eyes I'd see you. Your smile. Your cold hands on mine when we were alone. You roughly shoving me on the bed after I came back from a weekend trip. I'd open my eves again and reach over to my single pillow, a sharp contrast to the four I'd had at school, and I'd lean against the cold metal wall. A stinging cold, not at all like the hot summer days when you'd let me use your bare skin as a coolant.

Pietro told me not to cry so much, it doesn't prove my strength to Magneto. I tried hard not to cry anymore after that, but It was hard. A dull tugging pain in my chest and throat threatened to choke me. It became almost painful to think of you.

I came up with a solution, but I knew that would be just as painful. I picked through the few clothes I had and donated them to charity, and every time I'd think of you, I'd burn my hand.

I burned you out of my mind, out of my emotions. I became stronger.

There's still nights I think of you. Nights when the room is just a little too cold, a little too lonely, and my room is a little to barren, a little too clean, a little too simple. A little too quiet, a little too dark, a little too intimidating, a little too empty, and a little too far away from you.


	6. Living on a Prayer

1Title: A Rectangle with a Name and a Date

Prompt/Inspiration: "Livin' On A Prayer" -Bon Jovi

Summary: It was their anthem; wether they were screaming it at the top of their lungs in the dorm as part of a caffeine induced high, or they were smiling through their sobs and choking out the words.

Disclaimer: Song belongs to Bon Jovi, Characters to Marvel.

Pairings: John/Bobby, Bobby/Kitty, Rogue/Pitor

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Character Death, A Little bit long, Possibly Inaccurate Lyrics

--

_We gotta hold on, to what we got. It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not._

"Okay, okay." Kitty said between giggles and another gulp of her Amp, "Johnny, your turn. What professor would you sleep with first?"

"Miss Frost. No question."

"I thought you were gay." Bobby piped in, smiling.

"I am."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Oh, but it does, young Robert. I'm saying that I'd rather sleep with Miss Frost than any of the male teachers at this school. I mean, two of them are blue, one of them could shred you to pieces, another is in a wheelchair, and the last is a hard-ass." John replied, tilting his head back and finishing off another can of full throttle.

"That means a lot coming from the school slut."

"Bobby, if I'm the school slut, you're the school prude. Aside from Summers."

"Seriously, how many of us in the room have you slept with?" Bobby teased; John scanned the circle. Directly to his left, Jubilee (who everyone thought was his girlfriend, but really wasn't), Pitor, Kitty, Rogue, and finally Bobby.

"I haven't slept with Marie, and the only reason I slept with Jubes is because she wanted me to be her first."

"Rogue doesn't count, and despite the reasoning, you still slept with her."

"Besides, the residents of this room are not an accurate representation of the student body.."

"Who'd you sleep with yesterday?" Bobby continued to torment his friend. John grabbed another full throttle from the box of energy drinks in the center of the room.

"Spyke." John smiled.

"I rest my case." Bobby said.

_We got each other, and that's enough for love. We'll give it a shot._

Jubilee looked up from her nails that she had been inspecting during the exchange, "I love this song!" She cheered, walking over to the radio and turning up the volume and beginning to dance. The group cheered her on as she shook her hips for a moment, the turned to John and held out a hand, "May I have this dance, sweetheart?" She offered. John grabbed her hand and pushed himself up as Jubilee pulled. He sat his drink on the night stand then wrapped his arm around Jubilee's waist.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, dear?" John mocked, pulling the girl closer and resting his forehead against hers. John suddenly felt a light hand on his shoulder and spun around quickly, laughing. He did not handle caffeine in the best of ways; he got giggly and acted like a idiot, as well as many of the same symptoms one would have if they were mildly drunk.

_Oh, We're half way there. Oh! Livin' on a prayer!_

"May I cut in?" came Rogue's southern drawl, her gloved hand still on John's shoulder.

"But of course, Madam." John mimicked her accent and wrapped his arms around the brunette's waist, sticking his tongue out at Jubilee.

Rogue pulled away, shaking her head and smiling. "I meant with her." She smirked, moving close to Jubilee. John frowned but bowed slightly and held out his hand to Kitty,

"How about you, Miss Katherine?" he offered. She smiled and grabbed Pitor's hand,

"Why would I want to dance with the school slut?"Kitty said, smiling jokingly.

"That hurts, Kitty."

"Dance with Bobby. It didn't hurt when he said it." She said, turning to face Pitor. John smiled widely as the chorus started

"Take my hand, we'll make it I swear." John whispered as he held out his hand to Bobby.

"Livin' on a Prayer." Bobby answered, letting John pull him to his feet. They danced close, smiling.

"You know, Bobby. Even if I am the school slut, you're the one I'd pick first."

"Nice to know I have the privilege."

"A privilege indeed." John smirked, putting his forehead against Bobby's. He knew that Bobby had a girlfriend, and he knew that Bobby would probably never like him back, but he never forgot to tell his friend of his affections. "Don't look at me like that, Bobby." John had noticed the longing look on Bobby's face, like he wanted something more than to be dancing with his best friend late at night in his girlfriend's dorm room. "Your girlfriend wanted to dance with Pitor." After Rogue had gone and gotten the cure, Bobby broke up with her and started going out with Kitty and still was, even though Rogue's powers had returned.

"It's not that." Bobby said, shaking his head.

"What is it?" John asked, tilting his head. Bobby was the only one he didn't use mocking endearments with.

_We gotta hold on, to what we got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not._

Suddenly the other four teens were yelling "We got each other, and that's enough for love. We'll give it a shot! OH! We're half way there!" John and Bobby joined in, "OH! Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, we'll make it I swear! OH! Livin' on a prayer! Livin' on a prayer!"

John shivered. Not because Bobby's cold hands were on his bare arms, but because it was if he could feel the steady beat of the music flowing through him. Like the song was part of him. He knew it was something that you hear about in movies when a grown person in narrating their childhood, but he couldn't help it. The six of them would graduate tomorrow, some of them would leave, and some would stay, but it was the last time the six of them would be together.

--

Six months later, John would leave and join Magneto, and almost a year after that, John found himself staring Bobby straight in the eyes. They fought. While John drew his strength from unrequited love, Bobby found his weakness in guilt. If only he had loved John back, he wouldn't have left, wouldn't have turned into this, wouldn't have become Pyro, and now there wasn't even a hint of St. John left to be seen.

_We've got each other..._

And for a moment Bobby remembered. Dancing, energy drinks, smiling, laughing. When he looked up, he suddenly missed St. John, and had it in his mind that he had to kill Pyro, so St. John could take his body back. Looking back on it, it was childish, immature and hopeless. But most of all, it was desperate.

--

It was cold out. Cold, even for Bobby, the Iceman. But he could shiver, it was far more important for him to sit here. He stared blankly at the freshly placed granite monument. It was plain, just a flat rectangle with a name and a date on it. He had something to say, but wasn't sure if he could say it without starting to cry again. It took a lot of willpower to stop and get out here, and even more willpower to not cry when he saw that name, but he had managed to sit down and remain silent.

"I..." Bobby felt a sob welling up in his throat. He bit down on his bottom lip, hard, hard enough to draw a slight bit of blood, so he immediately stopped as the tears forced themselves out. He took a deep shaky breath. "I remembered... what you said..." Bobby shook, and only partly because of the cold. "That night before graduation..." there was a long pause as te ice mutant debated whether he wanted to vocalize the nagging thought in his head. "I would've... no." Bobby wiped some tears away and pulled his knees to his chest. "I should've... picked you first." Bobby said before choking another sob which turned into a slight laugh, "You know, Kitty always told me I wouldn't know a good thing if it bit me in the nose. But I guess I should've known, because you didn't bit me; you kissed me." Bobby was smiling though, even as tears ran down his cheeks.

"Hey, sweetie." Kitty sat down beside Bobby, her voice tentative as she put her hand on Bobby's shoulder, massaging him slightly. He shrugged away from her and she easily accepted it, understanding Bobby's fragility at the moment. More footsteps came, crunching across the frosted grass. Rogue sat down beside Kitty, then Pitor next to her. The four of them created a semicircle around the small granite block. Rogue sniffled, staring to cry, Pitor just rubbed the back of his neck, trying to retain his composure, and Kitty just stared at the engraved letters. A final set of footsteps approached and Jubilee sat next to Pitor, still leaving an empty spot.

Jubilee scanned the circle for a moment, noticing that they all had their own ways of dealing with grief. It was amazing how one little piece of stone could bring people together; Kitty from college, Pitor from his job in NYC, Rogue from back home in the south, and herself from Baltimore, while Bobby had remained at Xavier's. Jubilee smiled slightly as an idea dawned upon her and she shifted to dig her Ipod out of her pocket. She unwrapped the earbuds from around it and laid them on the gray surface in the center of the circle. She scrolled through the songs and pressed play, sitting the ipod beside the buds after turning the volume all the way up.

They all recognized the song, after all, it was their song. Jubilee wrapped her arm around Pitor, which influenced the others to link arms as well. It was Jubilee who was first to chime in, though her voice was shaky and she was near sobbing,

"We gotta hold on, to what we got."

"It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not." Kitty joined in.

"We got each other," Pitor.

"And that's enough for love." Rogue. They all turned to look at Bobby, who was crying again and wiped his eyes, noticing their expectant looks, he laughed slightly again,

"We'll give it a shot." he spoke plainly, smiling.

"Oh, we're half way there. Oh! Livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, we'll make it I swear. Oh! Livin on a prayer! Livin' on a prayer!"


	7. Long Road Ahead

1Title: Long Road Ahead

Prompt: Falling off a cliff (Twighlightr)

Pairing: Slight Bobby/John

Summary: John misses Bobby. (Nice 'n Short: 420 Words)

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Marvel.

--

"You betrayed us, Johnny." Came Jubilee's looming voice. It wasn't sad, it was pure anger and her eyes were laughing, laughing at him.

"You left us, you thought you were too good." Came Rogue's just as hateful voice. The girls were in front of him, slowly walking closer, he backed up. Bobby was with them,

"How could you?"

"You're a traitor to your own cause!" Pitor's Russian accent. Ever closer, he backed a few more steps. The storm raged around them, however the rain wasn't as bad as the onslaught that was happening outside of the wooded area.

"We trusted you!" Yelled Kitty. A few more feet. John gasped when his foot slipped down behind him, he spun around and saw the cliff. It was a long drop into tumultuous waters below; he backed toward the advancing group and spun when he ran into a metal-clad Pitor. They brandished their powers. Jubilee creating sparks, Bobby's fist turning to ice, Rogue removing her gloves. Another crash of thunder. He was standing on the edge of the cliff and looked terrified,

"Bobby!" he called, reaching for the ice mutant who carefully adverted his touch. He wanted Bobby to remember. Those nights they snuck out to cause havoc at the mall; the rainy days they would wrestle in the mud; the snowball fights that John always lost; the times John sat awake in his bed after a nightmare, when Bobby would hold him for hours as he sobbed in silence.

The group stepped closer, John wobbled slightly, trying desperately not to fall. They stopped, and only Bobby stepped ever closer, so close that John could feel his breath on his cheek. "Bobby, don't do this..." John pleaded, refusing to cry. Bobby put a hand to his lips, staring him in the eyes for a moment, smirking, and rasing his other hand to John's chest.

He pushed.

The warmer mutant fell. He hit the water, sunk quickly then hit his head on a rock and everything went black.

--

John sat up and gasped. Another nightmare. Another torture known only to him, like a movie playing with his eyes closed, and they all had the same ending. Once again, Bobby had killed him. He was soaking wet, no doubt thanks to the leak he had only now discovered in the roof that almost protected him from the anger of the storm. He moved off the bare mattress and sat amidst pans and buckets of the nearly empty apartment and sighed. It was a long road ahead.


	8. Faith

1Title: Faith

Pairing: none, really. If you see one, let me know.

Characters: John, Alison Blaire (Dazzler), handful of other comic characters

Rating: PG

Summary: John doesn't understand why his teachers always know what's best for him.

Notes: I'm sorry to keep making references to Comic characters for teachers, but they gotta come from somewhere. Also, Most people don't acknowledge John's literary side, so I'm throwing in this little drabble to help out.

--

They always put so much faith in him. Well, some of them. Banshee, Dazzler, Forge, Havok, and a handful of other teachers. They always told him he was so smart, but it was the same old story, 'If only he would apply himself'. John got tired of hearing it. All of his classes were so easy, he didn't understand why, if they were telling him how smart he was, why didn't they put him in harder classes?

He could read, write, add, subtract, divide, multiply, draw, sing, he spoke fluent Latin, Spanish, and French with a handful of Italian, Japanese, and German he'd picked up along the way. He knew sign language, all of the major wars in America's history and their dates and specifics, he knew a good twenty five elements off of the periodic table, and all of the properties of water. He knew Shakespeare and had read six of hiss plays, he knew Darwin's theory of evolution and the Pythagorean theorem. He knew Newton's laws and the bill of rights, he could play four instruments and could cook a meal without killing anyone.

So why did he feel smart yet? Why did they always tell him he had so much potential, but didn't apply himself?

He couldn't understand what there was to apply himself to. He didn't understand wh he should sit in classes where they taught him stuff he already knew.

Dazzler had always had more faith in him than the others. She said she understood, she said that she knew what he felt like, and all that. So why did she keep him in the same class as all the other juniors? She told him he could be in college right now, so why wasn't he?

She asked him to stay after class one day, and he did. After all, he skipped most of his classes, so why not give her a few extra minutes? He sat as his peers left, giving him the usual down turned glances. He waited until they were gone, and Ms. Blaire sat a blank sheet of notebook paper and a plain yellow number two pencil on his desk. He looked up to her expectantly.

"John, all of your peers look down on you. They think you're a delinquent with an attitude."

"Thanks for the news bulletien." John said sarcastically, it wasn't like he hadn't already noticed.

"John, listen to me." She spoke, sitting at the desk beside his, "Why do you treat yourself like they treat you? Your classes are all to eay for you, but you act like you don't understand them at all, and you're failing. Forgive me, but I don't understand."

"I don't know what you're–"

"John, show them that you're better than that." He tone was forceful, but encouraging. It almost comforted John. "Show them all how smart you are. Your daily journal..." She pulled out an orange composition book she insisted that all the students have. They're expected to write in it for the first half hour of class every day. They have the choice of taking it with them, so She can't read it, or they can leave it on their desk to be read by whomever chooses. "John, I haven't read a story this captivating in a long time."

John had been skeptical of the writing journal at firs, but one day, the words just came out, and he had continued on a story since the beginning of the year. Despite the fact that he skipped her class, John kept it a secret that he still wrote in it for much longer than a half hour each night, and returned it before classes in the morning. She knew, of corse, but none of his peers did. It had become something of a therapy for him, even though he'd brush it off as bored musings.

"There's nothing special about it." John shrugged off her praise. Sure, he had taken up reading in all the free time he had from skipping classes. He knew plot and character developments and the basics of what a story had, but it was still noting special. He wrote what he liked to read.

"Yes there is, John. An author is always their worst critic, John. But regardless of what you think, this is your chance to show them, show them all, how good you are."

"Listen, I only write because it's something to do."

"John. Listen to me. You've found your talent. You can't say you don't want to do it if you haven't even given it a decent shot. So just _write_."

So John picked up the pencil, and wrote.


	9. Proud

1Title: Proud

Pairing: B/J

Rating: PG

Summary: John didn't expect any applause.

Notes: Inspired by my boyfriend's Graduation last night.

--

"Killian Lee Aarons." There was applause coupled with high pitched screaming. John stood, four more students in front of him, to the left of the stage. Four more names, then he would ascend the stairs, his name would be called and–

"Gregory Robert Able." John stepped closer as applause was heard form a different part of the auditorium. More screaming and applause, a lone "We Love You, Greg", rang out. He fiddled with the hem on the sleeve of the blue gown he wore over a white dress shirt, black slacks, and a black tie. It was hot out, for the beginning of June, the forecast had said–

"Samantha Dawn Aerroe."Even louder applause for her, after all, she was homecoming queen and was headed off to Harvard. John frowned, suddenly jealous of the screaming coming from the back of the auditorium, He knew that there would be no applause or cheering for him, he would walk across the stage in silence because–

"Leeann Kim Agger." Not as much applause, a cowbell rang out. Magneto had discouraged him from attending public school for his senior year. He had never been encouraged by anyone to pursue this, just himself. A mere shake of the hand from Jamie was all he got, because Jamie had graduated years before, noone else would–

"Stephen William Alexander the third." He was next. He felt a feeling of dread and disappointment well up in his stomach, after the ceremony, he would walk out alone, no hugs from family, no pictures, he'd get in his truck and drive himself–

He was pushed from behind by Mrs. Booz. He handed the card with his name on it to Ian Gibson, student senate president,

"St. Jonathan Nathaniel Allerdyce." His name rang across the auditorium as he shook hands with the President of the board of education. He felt the weight of the padded folder in his hand, but it suddenly felt all to heavy in the utterly silent auditorium. He continued across the stage, determined not to show he was upset, then reached out to shake–

"I'M PROUD OF YOU, JOHNNY!" a single voice, yelled out in the silence as John shook Mrs. Cynthia Biller's hand, and he turned his head quickly, surprised, he couldn't see him, but he knew who it was. After all, he would always know his voice.


	10. Jealous

1"Do you have a crush on John?!" Kitty barked at Jubilee across the cafeteria table, the look on her face said disgust. She had been animatedly telling a story from the weekend with her parents she had just returned from.

"What? No." Jubilee shook her head vigorously.

"You've been ignoring me for the last 10 minutes."

"Well, you'd be distracted too if you were watching this."

"Watching what?!" Kitty stood and moved to the other side of the table with her tray so that her back was no longer to the fire mutant. John was slouched in his chair, picking at his food as he watched Bobby joking around with Rogue. His head was tilted down, staring more at his food than the couple across the round table and he had a very complacent expression on his face. "What's so amusing about this?" Kitty asked bluntly.

"He's so jealous."Jubilee said, smiling and grabbing the Styrofoam tray on the table. She waltzed from the cafeteria, dropping the tray in a trash can as she left.


	11. The Part That Hurt

1In the days after he left, it didn't take much to set me off on a daily basis. Realizing he was the love of my life was the easy part. The part that hurt, was when I still wore that jacket he lent me moths ago, the one that, when I put it on, still smelled like smoke, bringing to tears. The part that hurt, was when I'd walk down to the kitchen at midnight and see the Reese's cups he'd hidden in my box of popsicles, insisting it was the only good place to hide them. The part that hurt was looking at his, still messy, half of the room. The part that hurt was turning on the radio to hear Natalie Walker's sorrowful singing of 'Waking Dream' and remembering that all I did was make fun of him for listening to it. The part that hurt was being assigned a new roommate. The part that hurt was realizing that he wasn't coming back.

Author Note: I'm not feeling so happy. I've been crying on and off for about 48 hours, so I'm sorry this is a little emo. At least my Boyfriend (?) helps me write...


	12. The Part That Hurt 2

1From the moment I left, I felt like I was incomplete. The easy part was realizing I had brought this upon myself, realizing this was the result of being selfish. The part that hurt was waking up from nightmares without him there telling me I would be alright. The part that hurt was being left on my own to train, without him to help me push my limits. The part that hurt was turning on every news channel to hear him being praised at least 50% of the time. The part that hurt was watching snowflakes gently flutter to the ground without him begging me to go outside. The part that hurt was rummaging for food without having him around to yell about my unbalanced diet. The part that hurt was realizing this was one mistake he couldn't help me fix.


	13. Holiday

1John sighed as he walked down main street. There weren't many people out, seeing as it was so cold, but even on a normal day the sidewalk in the small town wasn't crowded. He flicked his Zippo shut one last time before shoving it in his pocket in favor of leather gloves. Pulling on his left, then right glove, he stopped, pulling out a small piece of folded paper. After putting both gloves on, he unfolded the paper carefully and reading the single line of text:

_You're always welcome home for the holidays. -Bobby_


End file.
